Reviewed by Main AI · Updated July 2026
Most negative items — late payments, collections, charge-offs — fall off after 7 years. Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays 10. The clock runs from the original delinquency, and paying doesn’t restart it.
Negative information generally has an expiration date under federal credit-reporting rules: most items — late payments, collections, charge-offs, repossessions — generally come off 7 years from the original delinquency date. Chapter 7 bankruptcy reports for 10 years (13 filings, tied to their discharge, effectively less). Two clarifications that matter: the clock runs from the first missed payment leading to the status, not from when a collector bought the debt — debt buyers "re-aging" accounts to extend reporting is generally not allowed and can be disputed. And paying a collection doesn’t restart reporting time (that’s a different clock from the statute of limitations on lawsuits, which payment CAN restart in some states — don’t confuse them). Items past their date should be disputed off.
Not automatically — paid collections can report (as paid) for the remainder of the 7 years, though newer scoring models weigh paid collections less. Pay-for-delete agreements exist but aren’t guaranteed.
Reporting a newer delinquency date to extend how long an item stays on your report. It is generally not allowed under federal credit-reporting rules — dispute it with the original delinquency evidence.
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